Monday Midday Tahiti/Hawaii time (Mon 2200 GMT) Pressure is 997.3hPa - rising now... so Low must be moving away. Looks though wind has changed direction to NW since our drift is now almost due E and sky is also a lot brighter, although still cloudy.
3pm Got underway, heading NE, roughly on a beam reach and on port tack a while ago, using staysail in place of genoa. Loss of genoa is a big nuisance since it will slow us down a lot - especially in light wind, since genoa so much larger than the staysail but at least we've some headsail, even if it's only a small one.
Wind is from NNW and still well up. Pressure just got to above 1000 hPa and sun is shining now and then through occasional breaks in the clouds. So weather is improving but seas are still very rough - steep and short (close together)....
Trying to reply to a lot of emails - please forgive my brief answers!
9pm Seas lying down a little - not quite so rough... Still working on emails - a lot to deal with. Wind looks settled from N-NNW for a day or more, but becoming light NE for a time, in a High, before SW sets in on Friday, becoming W after the weekend - that will be good!
Seeing shipping every so often - but they see my AIS signal and usually stay clear. If they look to be getting too close, I call on VHF but that wasn't needed today or overnight.
Tuesday 6:30am Tahiti/Hawaii time (Tues 1630 GMT) Grey skies, pressure rising still, wind getting less, but rather gusty, and seas still well up and lumpy. Managed to reach sail just above boom to replace a few of the Gorilla tape patches holding torn sail at luff of mainsail near third reef cringle before releasing third reef - we've been very slow overnight and needed more sail to speed up.
If we weren't so close to the wind, trying to make a NE course, we'd make more speed but I want to keep making northing when possible - we're still well S of Cape flattery and there's likely to be a N wind (and maybe a S-flowing current) nearer to the coast.
Downloading latest weather files. Wind will be veering over next day or so and becoming more N, then from NE and eventually E, as High pressure comes along behind the present Low we're in - so we'll be forced to head even more E for a time soon enough and then we'll have to head N. Only making ENE now.
7:45am Feeling very tired still - would like to get back to my bunk for some more sleep... but will let out next reef - we're still going far too slow...
9am Went to let out 2nd reef but ran into a problem - sheave at far end of boom is thoroughly stuck and won't turn. Have been fighting for a time now to try to release the reef line - but it doesn't want to slide over the stuck sheave. I'm hoping to 'work' it if I can, but means repeatedly lowering and hoisting the mainsail to do that. Have squirted a load of oil around the sheave to try to persuade it to move. Don't want to put too much tension on the sail by raising the main without the reef line releasing - it needs to come loose. Today's 'challenge' - to add in to the previous list...
I'll get some sleep and then try again - maybe the reef will come free while I sleep? :-)
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While sailing around the world, I'm trying to raise funds to help support the superb life-saving work done by the RNLI (Lifeboats) in Britain each and every day of the year, regardless how bad the weather. In fact, the worse it is, the more likely they are out there, helping someone in distress - whether a swimmer, surfer, small boat or big ship, night or day, summer or winter, and it is a charity - no government funding - so they rely on our help to fund their intensive training and maintain their equipment.
It would be great if you would take a moment to click on the Lifeboats link here (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jeanne-Socrates2), if you'd like to show your support for my efforts at sailing solo, nonstop, unassisted around the globe, trying to set a World Record as the oldest person to do so, by donating something towards the great work the RNLI do every day. If a lot of people put in even a small amount, it all adds up... Thanks a lot! If you can help, it will be very much appreciated. Let's see if we can reach my target!
(I hear that some readers might need to talk to their bank BEFORE trying to make a donation to the RNLI since many US banks routinely block foreign transactions unless
they are notified in advance.)
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1900GMT (= 9 a.m. LT = Tahiti/Hawaii time) - end of Day 321. We made 67 n.ml. DMG, measured in a straight line between the two 1900GMT positions. Slow overnight with 3rd reef still in...
Total distance covered from Victoria, B.C., to end of Day 321 (by daily DMGs): 26,803 n.ml.
Distances (are all Gt Circle, at 1900GMT): Cape Flattery LH (Tatoosh Island): 882n.ml. to NE (add ~60 n.ml. to Victoria); Honolulu: 1459 n.ml. to SSW; Papeete, Tahiti: 3635 n.ml. to S; San Francisco GG: 1044 n.ml. to E.
Position, as posted to www.Winlink.org and www.Shiptrak.org (using my US callsign KC2IOV):
TIME: 2019/08/20 19:00GMT LATITUDE: 42-52.94N LONGITUDE: 144-27.48W
COURSE: 072T SPEED: 5.0kt
WIND_SPEED: 15kt WIND_DIR: N SWELL_DIR: NNW SWELL_HT: 3.0m CLOUDS: 60%
BARO: 1010.5hPa TREND: 2 AIR_TEMP: 23.0C SEA_TEMP: 27.0C
COMMENT: Trying to release 2nd reef - sheave stuck